3 ms·

If true, this should dramatically improve the timeline for practical fusion energy, right?

• jjk166 3y ago
  Not necessarily. While obviously it would be nice to not have to cool superconductors, it's not much of a technical challenge. Much more relevant is the strength of the magnets - fusion reactors need very strong magnets which is why they use superconductors, but there is still a limit to how strong they can be made. Unfortunately the higher temperature a material becomes a superconductor, typically the less able it is to handle strong magnetic fields. The extent depends on the type of material it is and there can be other benefits like smaller size that could justify using weaker magnets, so it is still possible it could help, but it's unlikely to be a game changer.
  • foota 3y ago
    Ah interesting, thank you! Maybe I can hope that the discovery leads to further novelty then :) Maybe the same effect can occur in lower temperature superconductors as well. I guess there's a sweet spot for ease of construction, field strength, and temperature.
    • pfdietz 3y ago
      If you look at the 2013 design of the ARC fusion reactor concept (a high field tokamak), most of the mass of the reactor is the steel structure needed to resist the JxB forces from the magnets. This will be needed even if the magnets are made of room temperature resublimated unobtainium.